The CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) said in an interview that Obamacare premiums would rise substantially next year due to market shifts and rising health care costs. Marilyn Tavenner, who managed the disastrous Obamacare rollout as director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, gave no numerical prediction but made clear that across the board, Obamacare premium hikes are coming. Fiscal Times: “I’ve been asked, what are the premiums going to look like?” she said. “I don’t know because it also varies by state, market, even within markets. But I think the overall trend is going to be higher than we saw previous years. That’s my big prediction.” If Tavenner is right, Obamacare will jump dramatically—last year’s premium for the popular silver-level plan surged 11 percent on average. Although Tavenner didn’t mention deductibles, in 2016, some states saw jumps of 76 percent,...(Read Full Post)